This invention relates to a clamp to join two members and, in a particular embodiment, to a grid of joined members for a suspended ceiling which may be adapted to withstand corrosive environments.
Grids for suspended ceiling assemblies are widely known in the building construction industry. Often the grid members are of an inverted "T" configuration--a flange extending normally from either side of the base of a web. With this configuration, the flanges of the grid members will support ceiling panels. Generally, the grids comprise parallel support members with cross-members stretching between adjacent support members. Various methods have been devised to join the ends of the cross members to the support members. For example, in Canadian Pat. No. 555,365 to Fotheringham, dated Apr. 1, 1958, the ends of each cross-member are provided with a tab extention, integral with one of the flanges of the cross-member. The end of a cross-member rests on the flange of a support member with the tab received through a slot in the web of the support member. The tab is bent against the side surface of the web in order to secure the cross member in position.
In Canadian Pat. No. 1,095,682 issued Feb. 17, 1981 to Balinski, the ends of the cross-member webs are provided with tongue extensions which are received in slots in the supporting members. The cross-members are dimensioned so as to provide an expansion gap between the ends of each cross-member and the support members to which each cross-member is joined. Only the tongues extend to and beyond the flanges of the support members.
In both of these prior art patents, the grid members are metallic. While these grid constructions are satisfactory for certain applications, they are not satisfactory for use in a corrosive environment wherein metal grid members would deteriorate. Further, in order to apply the joint taught in Canadian Pat. No. 555,365 to non-corrosive grid members, a non-corrosive material would have to be found which is sufficiently malleable to allow the tab at the ends of the cross-members to be bent. Further yet, although replacing the metal grid members of Canadian Pat. No. 1,095,682 with non-corrosive members would provide a ceiling panel supporting grid construction, the grid construction would not present a satisfactory barrier to a corrosive environment due to the gaps between the cross-members and support members.
Consequently, there remains a need for a means to join grid members which may not only be used in non-corrosive environments but which may also be adapted for use in corrosive environments and which results in a low cost of construction. The present invention seeks to provide such a joint.